𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 || ʸᵘⁿᵒ

XXII

thank you guys so much for waiting so long whilst i was going through exams! they're over now so i'll try to update as much as possible before i start university at the end of september <3

—/<3/—

It was then when nozel and fuegoleon flew into the council room, each on their respective birds. they took their stance on either side of elle, the three of them radiating power and excellency as they glared at damnatio. Yami and the rest of the black bulls took it upon themselves to burst through the wall with their strange walking house at the same time, dust and smoke billowing around the room as elle tried her best not to cough.

"I was told the trial was two days from now," Yami murmured, puffing cigarette smoke from his nose. "How about you give back asta now?" He demanded as each bull brought out their grimoire, preparing themselves for a battle.

Damnatio scowled as the nobles began to shout obscurities at the bulls for their haphazard and destructive entrance. "Yami Sukehiro. You're defending the criminal that started this great war? Do you know what will happen to the black bulls because of this decision?"

"woah, woah, woah. do you think asta started the war? or are you just looking for someone to blame this on? because if you were actually present at the time of the attack you would know that asta didn't call upon the devil, a group of elves were manipulated into thinking placing the stones in the hold would lead to the reincarnation of their race, and then it led to the reincarnation of a demon instead." elle explained loudly over the constant chatter of the nobles and the crumbling rubble from the destroyed wall.

her eyes were fixated on damnatio as she walked forward elegantly, her heels clicking against the tiled floor as she made her way over to the platform where nero, asta, and marie were, gesturing for asta to drop his black form whilst she pulling nero, who was still in handcuffs behind her.

the black bulls began to charge forward, letting out a furious war cry.

so much for negotiating peace through words.

elle rolled her eyes and she brought nero over to the black bulls before making her way over to marie and asta, nodding curtly at asta and taking marie into her arms to bring her away from danger, she was aware of gauche's mildly annoyed glare burning into her back but she simply didn't care, she wasn't about to leave a child in the middle of a battlefield.

the soon-to-be queen returned to her place by nozel and fuegoleon who never once took their eyes off of damnatio. the three of them waited patiently as spells flew through the air, elle flinched each time one of damnatio's goons dropped to the floor as the black bulls attacked relentlessly but she didn't bother jumping in. it wasn't her battle to fight.

her battle was with damnatio and his classist beliefs.

"this is all going to make the charges against that delinquent worse!" he threatened, his scales tilting in front of him as he dodged one of magna's fireballs. "apparently you're all highly emotional but i can promise you that won't save him or the kingdom. you cannot change the minds of the nobles."

"oh there's our cue." elle spoke to nozel and fuegoleon.

"our cue would've came much sooner if they didn't decide to crash through the wall" nozel added impatiently, rolling his eyes. "yami is still as reckless as ever."

"my bad braid face i just got a little worked up that's all," yami said monotonously, lowering his katana.

"you're making a bad impression sukehiro." fuegoleon chuckled as salamander puffed smoke out of his nose behind him.

"enough bantering lets get this over with." elle smiled, eyeing damnatio's angry expression. who better to change the minds of the nobles than the three most influential royals in the clover kingdom?

ignoring the fact that many of the disapproved of elle's ideals of course.

"right." fuegoleon cleared his throat as he held up a decree. "ordered by the wizard king himself, the black bulls squad is tasked with locating and investigating all devils remaining in our world! Prove your innocence with your own hands!"

the nobility gasped and murmured between themselves.

"her majesty has set up a programme in which the black bulls must use in order to hunt devils. elle, please explain" nozel added, handing over the announcement, his cold stare never leaving damnatio.

"over the past few months, my father and i have been conspiring with loropetchka, queen of the heart kingdom. together we have created a programme in which we will send a group of clover's best magic knights over for training with the heart kingdom's spirit guardians. Through this we are hoping to create an elite squad that will take down any future demon threat. auditions will be held for this and the knights will be sent over to the heart kingdom for 6 months. our first and most important addition to the squad will be asta." elle delivered her speech with a smile, enjoying the way asta's face lit up at the news.

the royals knew exactly what they were doing. by putting asta under the control of the magic knights they were in control of his innocence and the council had no power over his sentence. asta now had the power to prove he didn't summon a demon nor was he a demon and to clear his name, all whilst getting stronger.

the nobles were easily swayed. they adored the silva and vermillion families, but most of all they adored the wizard king and if it meant that the demon race would be eradicated, they would drop the case.

in their minds, there was now a bigger event.

princess elle's coronation.

—/<3/—